With literacy rates hovering around 95%, Costa Rica has established its education system as a standard among Latin American and Caribbean countries. When we break down the order, we discover three facets to the system, pre-education (before age 7), primary education (from 6-7 to 12-13), and secondary school (from 12-13 to 17-18). The system has a mix of academic and technical specializations that give children choices later in life.
A typical school day consists of the classrooms broken into two separate cycles for students. Due to limited space, children alternate between morning classes and evening classes. So, children who attend classes in the morning hours 7:00 am to 12:30 pm Monday, Wednesday and Friday may attend classes in the evening from 12:30 to 5:30 pm, on Tuesday and Thursday.
School is compulsory in Costa Rica, with public schools free to attend. Schools in Costa Rica range from public to private, with some private schools considered international schools. Curriculums in public schools are similar to elsewhere in the world but do include Catholicism classes, although parents can choose to opt their children out of these classes to work on other projects.
Public schools can be found throughout the country and are on par with public schools in other nations. Costa Rica has made English a priority for students. For digital nomads, remote workers, and business owners for families, visit the local schools in the area you plan on living in.
Private Schools can be found around Costa Rica, with many concentrated in the central valley area. Below is a list of some of the most popular private schools but is by no means a complete listing.
American International School of Costa Rica (AIS)
Address: Bosques de Dona Rosa, Ciudad Cariari
La Asuncion de Belen, Heredia, Costa Rica
Tel: (506) 2293-2567
Tuition Rates: $4,000 – 8,500 per year
Dual language (English-Spanish) language school with many extracurricular programs. For children ranging from pre-school to 12th grade.
Country Day School (CDS)
Address: San Rafael de Alajuela, Route 27, Km. 17.5
Alajuela, Costa Rica, Central America
Tel: (506) 2289 – 0919
Email: [email protected]
Tuition Rates: $7,000-$17,000
This Nord Anglia Education School is a private, coeducational, non-sectarian college preparatory school and Costa Rica’s original American School serving the international community and local families for more than 55 years. With 800 students from Pre-Kinder to High School from over 35 nations, our mission is to inspire a passion for learning and provide children with the skills, values, and courage to become responsible leaders in our community and the world. The language of instruction is English, and Spanish is taught as a second language to all students. The school year extends from mid-August to early-June.
Address: Eljardin Commercial Centre #8, Jaco, Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Tel: 506-8682-4475
Tuition Rates: $2000-$6000 depending on programs and grade level
Peace Academy Costa Rica (PACR)’s goal is to help students meet the learning benchmarks for their grade, through self-directed learning supported by highly qualified teachers and instructors.
Marian Baker School (MBS)
Address: San Ramon de Tres Rios
4269-1000 San Jose, Costa Rica
Tel: (506)2273-0024
Tuition Rates: Contact establishment
Marian Baker School was founded in 1984 as a privately-owned K-12 school. It is a co-educational school with curriculum adhering to the United States system. MBS is accredited by the Costa Rican Ministry of Education and the SACS.
Falcon International School (FIS)
Address: diagonal to the entrance of Los Sueños Resort and Marina
Herradura Beach, Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Tel: 506-2637-7400
Tuition Rates: $4,000 – $6,450
Falcon is a multi-language school and caters to early childhood through twelfth grade. The school is accredited by the Costa Rican Ministry of Education and follows US curriculum.
United World College Costa Rica (UWC)
Address: P.O. Box 678-6150
San José, Costa Rica
Tel: (506) 2282-5609
Tuition Rates: Contact establishment
Part of non-profit network, this organization works with students between 16 and 19 years of age. Students must be chosen and are selected from around the world. Scholarships available.
Address: Barrio Socorro
San Miguel, Santo Domingo de Heredia, Costa Rica
Tel: (506) 2247-6600
Tuition Rates: Contact establishment
Opened in 1945, this non-profit school was started by Costa Rican parents and US immigrants. It provides a bi-cultural and bilingual (Spanish-English) education for students from pre-school to 12th grade. It is governed by an elected Board of Directors, where parents are encouraged to participate actively. The school is recognized and supported by the Office of Overseas Schools, and the U.S. Department of State. The school is fully accredited by the IB program, SACS, and the Ministry of Public Education of Costa Rica (MEP). It offers three full diploma programs: USA High School Diploma, International Baccalaureate Diploma, and the Costa Rican Diploma.
Address: 800 meters south of the service station Hnos Montes
Santa Ana, Costa Rica
Tel: (506) 2282 6512
Tuition Rates: Inquire at school
The school offers bilingual curriculum in Spanish and German. It is partnered with the official curriculum of Germany.
Address: San Francisco de San Isidro de Heredia
del lubricentro 800 metros sur oeste, Costa Rica
Tel: (506) 2268-9114
Tuition Rates: Contact establishment
This bilingual (German/Spanish) school offers montessori, primaria, and secundaria. It is a member of Schulen: Partner der Zukunft (Schools: Partners of the Future), a program from the German government that is designed to effectively spread the teaching of the German language around the world. Students begin receiving German language lessons in early elementary school. In middle school, German is considered a core subject area and all students take year-long courses in German during sixth through eighth grades. In high school, all students are required to take at least four core courses in German, and many additional elective courses are available. By the completion of middle school, all the students take the A1 exam to certify their fluency in the German language. High school students can take additional exams for certification, including the US College Board’s Advanced Placement Exam, which earns them international college credit, that is recognized by hundreds of universities around the world.
Address: San José, Costa Rica
Tel: (506) 22321455
Tuition Rates: Contact establishment
Instruction is in German, Spanish, and English. Included are kindergarten, Primary and Secondary. Curriculum is supported by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Address: De la casa de Don José Figueres, 4.5 Km. Noreste,
carretera a Concepción de Tres Ríos
Tel: 506 2273 -6373
Tuition Rates: 1,358 – 1,474 euros per year
The school was founded in 1967 by the governments of France and Costa Rica. A bilingual school (French-Spanish) with curriculum is approved by the French Ministry of Education.
Lighthouse International School
Address: 1 km North of the Guachipelín tunnel
127-1255 Escazú, San José, Costa Rica
Tel: (506) 2215-2393
Tuition Rates: $400 – 700 per month; $4,700 – 8,000 per year
Independent, college preparatory school with a Christ-centered curriculum. Classes are primarily taught in English, with some subjects taught in Spanish. The school runs from pre-kindergarten to 9th grade. Uniforms required
Address: 2 km West of the Total Gas Station in Comunidad
Tablazo De Sardinal, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Tel: (506) 2667-0066
Tuition Rates: $1,850 – 4,600 per year
A bilingual (English/Spanish) international school for local and overseas students aged 3 through 18.
Address: San Rafael, Costa Rica
Tel: 506-2215-2203
Tuition Rates: Contact establishment
Provides classes from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade. Classes are taught in English, and Spanish is offered at an additional fee with private tutors. The school runs on both the Costa Rican and the United States calendar and offers the IB and the MEP (National Baccalaureate) but does not offer the United States Diploma.
Address: Concepcion 3
Costa Rica
Tel: (506) 2279-2626
Tuition Rates: $300 per month
Established in 1949, there is a preschool, elementary and secondary school with bilingual curriculum.
Address: P.O. Box 177
Heredia, Costa Rica
Tel: (506)2261-0717
Tuition Rates: Inquire at school
Founded in 1989, the school is bilingual in English and Spanish. The school is accredited by Costa Rica’s Ministry of Public Education as well as by the IB Organization. The school runs from July to late June, breaking every nine to ten weeks for short vacations.
Address: La Colina de Curridabat
Costa Rica
Tel: (506)2276-76-39
Tuition Rates: Contact establishment
Instruction is in Spanish with English classes. The school has a preschool, primary and secondary
Tree of Life International School Costa Rica
Address: 150 metros north of Mas X Menos, 75 meters east on Calle Margarita, or 75 meters west of Condominio Montesol
Santa Ana, Costa Rica
Tel: (506) 8333-0063
Tuition Rates: Contact establishment
School for students from 6 months to Grade 6. Instruction is in English, Spanish and Mandarin with curriculum is based on the Christian religion.
The Cloud Forest School, Monteverde, Costa Rica, K-11
Centro de Educación Creativa
Apartado 23-5655
Monteverde, Puntarenas
Costa RicaTelephone: +506-2645-5161
FAX: +506-2645-5480
Email: [email protected] Web Site: http://www.cloudforestschool.org/
The Cloud Forest School, locally known as the Centro de Educación Creativa, is a bilingual school located in the tropical cloud forest of Monteverde, Costa Rica.
Founded in 1991 to increase educational opportunities for a growing population of school-age children in the area, this independent school offers creative, experiential instruction to over 200 students with an emphasis on integrating environmental education into all aspects of the school.